epidemiology | ( semi-closed )

[ olivia, too, has had her eyes on the door for a majority of their stay here. in fact, it would probably be more accurate to say that the only other things she's bothered to look at is achilles himself, as well as her own reflection on the surface of her cup. she feels strangely like she is about to embark on some strange interview or test, though she knows it's a silly thought the moment she thinks it.

still, she cannot help how her nerves jump at every sound within the currently cozy saloon. she feels fortunate that gaius should be one of the first to arrive here, for his somewhat lackadaisical and easy-going nature would mesh well with achilles' passion, she thinks. not that she worries any of her friends would disapprove (perhaps maribelle, at first... but she would warm up quite quickly upon hearing of achilles' status, she's sure) — but her overall desire for this all to go well makes the idea of failure that much more daunting, regardless how possible. ]

H-He should be right along...! [ she has begun to twist one of her braids in anxiousness. absently, she looks over to achilles and reaches up to tuck a lock of his own hair behind his ear. it's less for fixing, and more to give her hands something to do. ]

We're a little early...

[ try ten minutes early. she just wanted to be sure okay...! ]

[As her fingers flutter from his hair he takes her hand to clasp in his. Then he presses his lips to her knuckles and there he lingers as if to allow her skin the chance to absorb his reassurance.]

For what are you so nervous? Why, look at how you fret and fidget like a bride who shall for the first time meet her husband, when already he sits beside you.

[These words he speaks with a teasing lilt as he brings their clasped hands to rest upon her knee where against it brushes his own. Although among his people it is rare that man and woman should engage with one another beyond the framework of either courtship and marriage or family, he knows well that the customs upheld by the Achaeans are scattered to the winds in other lands, and so it is easy enough to think of this Gaius as a brother to Olivia - if not in blood then perhaps in their hearts.]

If you seek some manner by which to keep occupied your hands, then find it here in mine.

[And honestly, while Gaius is definitely no great bastion of goodness nor is he anyone who would judge this Achilles person Olivia has taken as her husband based on his status, he would be lying if he said he wasn't curious about the guy. Anyone who could win over the shy heart of the gentle-handed Olivia deserved some sort of respect--even if Achilles was going to be on the receiving end of getting respect from an ex-convict.

Achilles wouldn't be terribly wrong in his assumptions about Gaius and Olivia--the Shepherds had become something of a family to him in the last few years. Something he's never had, and therefore he was still unsure to exactly how protective he should be over the other members. It wasn't anything like a normal army, so...

He's getting his new rifle hidden away in his room before heading out to meet with his comrade and her spouse, and maybe it's due to that laid-back and easygoing nature that he doesn't take no time to rush over at all.

When he does enter the saloon it's with a bit of a sketchy look-about, a usual sweep of a public place to get one's bearings before actually seeking out who he's looking for. It's pretty hard to miss that shock of bright pink hair, so the cloaked thief doesn't take too long before making his way over, a crooked grin on that usually plain face.]

Here I was thinking I would have shown up first. Looks like I was way wrong.

—Gaius!

[ she's not exactly sure why — be it her general proclivity for jitters, or perhaps that lingering guilt festering in her gut — but she is perhaps too quick to drop achilles' hand that seconds ago she had just sought comfort in. she scrambles to her feet, adding another layer of formality to this whole meeting that is likely as unnecessary as the last.

her cheeks burn bright, but she is quick to turn from one man to the other, hands flapping in the air now that they've nothing to ground them. ]

A-Achilles, this is my friend from home... Gaius. Gaius, this is my h-husband here — Achilles.

[ she hangs back then, shrinking a bit into herself to allow the men their chance to speak, to gauge. despite technically being the tie that binds them now, there is a part of her that suspects the less she says, the better... ]

[As he too stands to welcome Gaius, Achilles casts only a fleeting look of bemusement upon Olivia ere he turns to the approaching young man. He knows not why she should be nervous for what ought to be a happy occasion, the meeting of friends, unless she believes that he should find fault in Gaius, or that Gaius should find fault in him. Such nerves he might better understand were she about to meet someone for the first time, perhaps his dear father, although he doubts such a glad reunion shall ever come to pass.

Nevertheless he acknowledges Gaius with a nod. He is a man who strikes an imposing figure, whose impeccable carriage makes broader his shoulders and greater his height, and whose powerful muscles are plain beneath the folds of his tunic, the cut of which leaves bare his arms. Yet his countenance is light as he makes this address.]

As fair Olivia has spoken, I am Achilles, son of Peleus whose noble house stands upon the fertile plains of Phthia. Come now, sit and share in this wine - while it is not so pleasant to taste as the wine born of the vines blessed by Dionysus, I hope you shall find it well enough to your liking.

[So speaking, and beckoning for Gaius to take the available seat at the table, he sits down once more and reaches for the squat brown jug perched there upon the table, that he may serve first his guest, then himself and his wife.]

[While he's not entirely surprised by Olivia's leaping up out of her chair and flapping around like a baby bird, he does have to immediately think about how surprised he is about the guy at her side. He takes no time in sizing the guy up, and maybe he's a little showoffish in how he judges him with an eye along with that honestly noble-sounding introduction.

So she's not only found a man who was gentle-spoken and straightforward, but she'd found one of a noble stature, too. Good for her, his first thought, quickly followed by haha, what a statue. Sorry, Oliva--he's still Gaius, afterall.]

Whoa there. No need to stand on ceremony for me. I'll definitely partake in the wine, though--especially if it's sweet. [He hopes it's sweet.] Name's Gaius, as I doubt you've heard enough now. Well met.

[He'll even offer one of those gloved hands to the broad-standing nobleman-type when he gets close enough, his accent tinged and his way of speaking apparent--he's definitely no high-born like this pair appear to be.]

Guess I owe you a 'thanks' for keepin' a good eye on Olivia here, huh. Maybe it should'a been me buying the wine.

[ high-born where. while olivia's future may have a high possibility of nobility, she is certainly far from that as she is now. just a simple peasant girl, who just so happened to catch the eye of someone way, way out of her league.

she, unfortunately, hadn't had the chance to check if the cactus wine were sweet, but she did have enough time and forethought to arrange a few of those candies from the train car that she'd had leftover on a small plate, which she is quick to nudge a little further into the center of the table, once they are all sat and served with drinks. ]

Achilles has been very good to me, Gaius, [ she's quick to say, her hesitation and nervousness easily forgotten in the wake of gushing about someone she cares so deeply about. in truth, she'd sound just as genuine and eager were she speaking of gaius himself.

though perhaps with far less blushing involved. ]

Far better than I deserve, really...

[Even through the magic of the jewelry which translates every word into his native tongue, Gaius' accent strikes him as unfamiliar and reminds him of how far away must lie Olivia's home from his own dear native land. The gesture too is strange to him: when Gaius offers his hand, Achilles knows not what to do but clasp it in his own strong hands and squeeze firmly for a moment before he withdraws. When seated his presence is no less prominent, seeming to overshadow Olivia in her bearing so soft and meek.]

It has been my pleasure to tend after Olivia all this while, for she has given me naught but comfort and delight when by my side she stays. So too is it my pleasure to meet a man who cares for her as if she were his sister, her honor no less worthy of protection than if she were kin. Thus let us share in drink while we acquaint ourselves one with the other.

[Speaking thus, he raises his cup which brims with the cactus wine, and this he brings to his lips. The wine is more sharp than sweet, but a hint of succulence hides within, enough to suit one such as him, as he knows sweetness little beyond fruits and honey.]

[While he's not a guy who's normally into freebies, the candy offered and nudged towards him he decides, pretty quickly, is absolutely harmless. He'll take one of those, thanks, already plucking one up off the table, flicking it between his teeth in a clever motion before offering the pair one of his crooked, sideways smiles.]

Kin, huh? I guess that's a good way of putting it, I'd suppose. The Shepherds were pretty much the closest thing to family as any blood-related group of people. [He won't add in unecessary thoughts such as not really knowing how being a brother to someone worked, merely waving a hand at him as he settles in his seat.]

You been here as long as Babe has been, then? Or maybe a little longer? Under the impression that the folks what dragged us here aren't great at sending people back with any reliable deadline. [Might as well start the conversation rolling.] Learning that people here are from other Outrealms, too. Far from any home we're used to.

[To him it seems natural that Olivia should fade from the conversation, as the purpose of this meeting was that he and Gaius might become acquainted with one another: she serves more as a quiet reminder of why this meeting holds such weight. Nonetheless, as he listens to Gaius he gently nudges Olivia's wrist and nods to her cup as a means of indicating that she too ought to partake in the wine.

It is fortunate for the mood of this meeting that Achilles understands not the implications that the epithet babe might convey. In love he is possessive, and he sees Olivia as a treasure that is his to delight in and his to boast: he would not take kindly to any who so much as seems to impinge upon his territory.]

In truth it is Olivia who has been here far longer than I. I met her not long after I first arrived in the house of Alastair all those months ago - and even then she was quick to soothe my chapped breast, no matter how brightly burned my rage for these outrageous circumstances in which we find ourselves.

[He then gives the young man a curious look. Olivia is reluctant to speak of herself, her eyes ever pointing outward rather than pausing too long to gaze upon herself, and so his picture of her life before he stepped into it is admittedly blurry.]

Yet you must have known her since your youth, to think of her as a mere babe still, despite how she has bloomed into womanhood.

[Reaching forward to take his own wine cup in his hand, he takes another moment to look Achilles over, his head tilting a little in thought as he speaks. He really does sound like a noble, dancing around his speech in a fanciful manner. He almost wants to laugh, but working in Chrom's court for two years has at least stilled his tongue for such things. Instead, that crooked smile just stays where it is as he tastes the first drop of wine.]

Not too keen on the whole 'being dragged to another realm' bit, huh? I guess I can definitely understand your reasonings there. I wasn't too keen myself. But hey, I've been through weirder scrapes in other realms before.

[He rolls his shoulders forward, raising a hand up to wave the last comment off.]

Ah, no. No, I've only known Olivia for the last few years. It's just a harmless nickname--I give just about everyone one of those. You'll have one too, by the end of the evening if I'm feeling creative enough.

[He raises the glass a little.]

[ it does not occur to olivia until much later (far too late, by then) the misconception achilles has over gaius' chosen nickname — but as soon as she does, she is quick to thank the gods for it. she's grateful as well for gaius' easy response, an explanation without really explaining, and thus is she all too quick to move the topic along when the redhead presents the opportunity for it. ]

Y-Yes, Gaius is very funny like that...! [ ha ha please don't hurt her friend, husband, ha ha. she reaches out out of reflex, idly giving gaius' shoulder a little playful push. ]

I'm sure he'll come up with something very cool for yours, my love.

Then gladly shall I accept whatever epithet you deign to give me, Gaius.

[Might he recommend "the best of the Achaeans"? Or perhaps "swift-footed" Achilles?]

But tell me of the adventures you have braved in far-flung lands - for you seem to me quite green with youth still, yet already you have such stories to boast. Thus I cannot help but let grow my curiosity.

[His people bear stories in the way that they bear treasure, for both burnish the deeds of worthy men to a bright gleam. The tales of truly excellent men burn on in the hearts of all who hear them sung by bards, and these men are as stars that others may look to for guidance. And other tales may bring delight for the triumphs told therein, or they may sow sorrow in the breast for the trials suffered. Achilles drinks of his wine but his eyes soon fall intently upon the man across from him.]

Then I ought to promise to make sure it's a good one. [Thanks for backing him up, Olivia. The last thing he needed was for 'the best of the Achaens' to get all swordy-knifey with him because of a simple nickname. They were harmless, really! Even if Olivia's was a little needlessly flirty.

Anyway.

The next comment about his travels makes him think for a moment. He wouldn't lie to his comrade's wife, but he wasn't too keen on advertising the fact that he was a wanted criminal before he started working for the king. Touchy subject and all, you know. But it was easy enough to tell the truth while avoiding other truths. So he just cracks another one of those cheeky smiles of his, swirling the wine in his glass(it's delicious, the sweetness is subtle but still apparent) before giving a nod.]

Before I met Olivia, I was a bit of a nomad, I guess you could say. I didn't really have a home to speak of, I spent my time hopping from city to town to haven, selling my sword or other trinkets that I won or made during my travels. I'm a bit of a fast hand when it comes to crafting and baking, you'll find.

So I've been to quite a number of places in my life, even if I haven't yet breached the age of thirty. [He's pretty proud of this fact, even if his... enterprises weren't so proud themselves.]

[ as their chatter picks up, and more and more of that tenuous, uncertain tension begins to ebb among the three of them, olivia finds she is finally able to relax. she is rapt, those first few minutes, smiling between the two men as smiles become more genuine than cordial, and her anxiousness melts into something more akin to relief.

but the more she listens in, the more she comes to realize a very daunting, very startling thing...

she cannot recall ever having the chance to regale achilles with stories of her own childhood, her own budding adulthood before the shepherds as gaius does now, under the easy backdrop of sweet wine and budding camaraderie...

because he has never asked. ]

( semi-closed )

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